Rule #1 in Accelerating Sales: The Power of Persistence

May 12, 2026•2 min read

Rule #1 in Sales Acceleration: The Power of Persistence

One of the greatest accelerators of success in sales and business development is a quality that often gets overlooked in today’s fast-paced world: persistence.

Years ago, I began reading Think and Grow Rich every January as part of my goal-setting ritual. Over time, that annual reading habit turned into a daily practice habit. The chapters on self-confidence and persistence became reminders that success is rarely instant—it’s earned through resilience, discipline, and the willingness to keep going when results don’t come immediately.

In sales, persistence matters because rejection is part of the journey. A stalled sales opportunity, a prospect saying “no,” losing to a competitor, or being passed over for an opportunity can either defeat us—or develop us.

I learned this lesson once with a difficult customer. Although it felt as though he did not want to work with me, and he preferred the competitors solution over mine, I stayed polite and pleasantly persistent. Then, he moved to another hospital I called on and he became a customer and a friend. That experience taught me something powerful: sometimes success doesn’t happen the first time, but persistence creates breakthroughs. Never burn a bridge.

Why Persistence Accelerates Sales Success

1. Persistence helps you overcome obstacles.
Challenges and setbacks are inevitable. Persistent professionals view them as temporary—not permanent.

2. Persistence builds trust.
Customers buy from people who consistently show up, follow through, and stay committed to helping them succeed.

3. Persistence creates growth.
Every lost opportunity carries a lesson. Top performers ask: What worked? What did not work? What would I do differently next time?

Tips to Strengthen Persistence

Set clear goals and deadlines
Stay connected to a positive mindset
Seek support from mentors or coaches
Break large goals into manageable steps
Stay adaptable and willing to pivot

Persistence isn’t stubborn - it is choosing not to give up, and all about staying the course.

Amy Lemire CSP

Amy Lemire CSP DTM works with success-driven leaders and teams who want to be more, make more, and sell more with confidence, with momentum. She is the creator of “The Best Version of You: Success Habits Breakthrough” Program. For the past 10 years, she has trained thousands of sales and business professionals on standards of excellence, and mastery of the keys to success and the ‘Sales Confidence Code.’ Her focus is on how to win the inner game of self-confidence to drive peak performance results in sales, business, and speaking, through the mastery of success habits. After spending 2 decades in business-to-business and medical sales and training, Amy founded AIM Training and Consulting International. She is a certified “Habitfinder” Leadership Coach. Amy is the author of 2 books: “From Zero to Sales Hero,” and “From Zero to Speaker Hero.” Amy was recently designated as a Certified Speaking Professional, in March 2023, by the National Speakers Association, for delivering over 300 hours of training and speaking. She is also a VISTAGE-certified speaker. Amy is a Distinguished Toastmaster, the Past President of National Speakers Association, St Louis Chapter, and a Member of the National Speakers Association. She has been recognized as a Fortune 500 top sales performer and sales trainer for over 3 decades. When she is not working you may find her at local rock concert, personal development seminar, or at home with her husband Nigel and her cat Brianna.

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